Pristine snowflakes lay itselves on the fresh ground of blood. Dark clouds cloaked the sky, hiding the sun's rays. The once vibrant color of grass and soil no longer resembles its own hue.
Soil that takes nutrients for plants and grass began to take blood; grass and plants mushed by the weight of blood, foot soldiers, and corpses.
Dead bodies of soldiers lay over the bloody pool; some were already rotting and freezing, while others that were at death's door fought for their lives.
Swords that were used by former owners were left rusted on the grounds. These weapons can be anything, be it snipers, twin Sai's, crossbows, and others.
Amidst the battlefield is a man; based on his facial features, he looked around his 20's. His greasy, messy black hair combined with streaks of sage was covering his eyes. His jawline was sharp, and his neck was quite thick.
The man's body was covered in metal-like armor. From foot to his chest has small holes of dent, slashes of sharp weapons, and blood. In his right hand was his helmet with horns of tree-like branches. His left hand was holding a Morningstar stained with blood
He was exhaling strongly and smoke emanated from his mouth with each breath.
Splash
The man looked at where he heard the sound. Though hidden, his eyes were surprisingly calm if one looked closely under his hair.
"For what..?" The soldier asked, twisted his body to face the unknown individual, and pointed his Morningstar.
She has a double Dutch braid hairstyle, with a few strands of hair on the sides of her face. Her face was clean, including her hair; her jawline was sharp but still had some fat, albeit unnoticeable.
Her eyes were pure black; instead of her pupil being a circle, it has a complex, strange shape, like geometrical shapes being combined together.
Her skin was tanned, her fat and muscles were balanced throughout the body, and her waist is slim.
She didn't wear armor or thick clothing to protect herself from the cold. Instead, she wore a slit black gown. Her right and left hands were gripping a wooden stick, resembling a wand.
The unknown woman looked around the vast scenery that her eyes presented to her. "This vast place was once... beautiful," She said as she let a smile out.
"You disregarded my question," he replied indifferently, gripping his Morningstar decently whilst still pointing it at her.
The woman's eyes pity the soldier, feeling sympathetic towards him.
Seeing her reaction, the soldier swiftly put on his helmet and charged at the woman..
The woman's soft face turned solemn as she saw the soldier rushing towards her.
The charging man was halfway the distance of her. However, the soldier fell on the ground, splashing blood.
Confused, the soldier turned his head behind to look at his lower body. To his shock, his feet turned into a stone that gradually rose up.
Realizing the situation, he looked back at the woman looking down on him. He gritted his teeth and threw his weapon at her.
The weapon spun on the air, quickly closing the distance.
However, to no avail, the Morningstar gradually loses its speed, causing itself to drop.
She stood motionless and only stared at the man, not even glancing at the thrown weapon.
The soldier in this situation faced defeat; he lay motionless, and his eyes turned bloodshot at the woman's eye.
Without looking, half of his body turned into a stone, quickly proceeding to his head, slowly turning him into a statue.
Just before he fully morphed into one, he saw the woman turn around and leave. Her silhouette slowly fades and is replaced by darkness; where he fell had his statue soaked in blood.
He feels alive yet is unable to move. It's like being paralyzed, except worse. He couldn't even tighten his muscles. He can only think and perceive in darkness.
**
Three days have gone, and the young soldier has seen nothing. His sanity is gradually being tortured.
But thanks to his willpower, he remained sane; but not for long.
Days have gone, and everything remain the same. He's not sure if it's day or night. He never felt physically tired, only mentally.
Countless days pass, and the pattern repeats itself. He slept and slept, but it wasn't enough to keep him sane.
He wished to see some hope—a light other than darkness.
***
Sumry, day 24, year 894
A young girl walked in the hallways with her loafers, making sounds with each step she took. Wearing a white long sleeve and a lilac long skirt that reached to her ankles. Her white shirt was complimented by the added designs of blue on her shirt. The same goes for the skirt, but blue green.
She's wearing a school uniform given by the school. For men, it's black long sleeves with white pants. The design is the same but the opposite of colors.
Her brown hair was styled in a ponytail with an added floral clip. She wasn't pretty; she wasn't beautiful, but cute. She is fairly slim with little muscle. Because of her 5'1 height; people might have mistaken her as a child, when in reality she is 19 years of age.
She halted her steps and took a deep breath. She is currently standing in front of a heavy door. She grabbed the right door's handle and pushed it open using some of her strength.
The girl's ponytail sways because of the breeze blowing. Her line of sight met with tables in rows horizontally and book-filled shelves.
The shelves were in rows vertically near the tables with eye-catching labels such as "History," "Science," "Artificial Magic," and many others. Silence occurred in the massive room of books, with only a few people presented with books in their hands.
The sides of the library has big open windows that can be closed anytime. The roof had a rectangle of glass, causing the sun rays to pass through and trap heat inside. The open windows neutralize the heat, making everyone neither hot or cold.
'It has gotten boring seeing it,' she said inwardly as she walked towards the history section.
"894–850... 849–800..." She read each of the subsections in history, looking for a specific year.
Minutes went by, and she found what she was looking for. She grabbed the book off the shelf.
_______________
{Boira War}
Unofficial
By: Yaryd Yow
________________
"Year 348? Specific, huh," She spoke quietly to herself, putting the plain brown book to her side. The book was very thin—at least 3 pages thick—not even worth calling it a "book."
She found herself an empty desk and chair to sit on. She placed her belongings on the table, whereas her study material is on the left side and personal stuff on the right side.
Quickly putting on her glasses, the young woman grabbed the plain brown book on the left side and placed it in the middle.
Opening the book, she slowly comprehends each sentence in her mind, paying attention to hidden details if she ever misses one.
'Cold blood refers to a historical world war. Thousands of individuals died, leading to a global population fall. The war began on Sumry Day 21, 346, and ended on Wintry Day 25, 348.
'The battle began when people in the past began battling for peace and equality. What's the reason? Humans. There were no hard and fast laws back then. So the wicked guys took advantage of those rules. They did whatever they wanted, including killing individuals. The committee turned a blind; they simply are unable to do anything. There are no explanations, and only worthless theories have emerged until now.'
Understanding this, the young woman gentle pale hand flipped the aged paper to the next one.
'Peaceful people fought battle against evil people, prompting the committee to take action. However, rather than battling them, the committee sided with the peacekeepers. So those wicked people assembled men and fought back, with 100,000 combatants. On the other hand, the joint party possessed the same number as them, but with one advantage. Weaponry.
'The committee had sophisticated technology, but as time passed, our technology advanced. This puts the opposition at a disadvantage in terms of weapons. The majority of our technology is not original; rather, it is an improvement on previously existing technology.
'The conflict took place in Yilm Prairie, or in other name is Diulx. The lush of meadow has been replaced by pools of blood, corpses, and weaponry. The enemy lost all of its troops, resulting in victory for the united team. They experienced a backlash, losing significant resources and at least one-quarter of their men.'
The young woman's soft hands flipped another page; to her surprise, it was quite short. Not bothered by it, she read the remaining sentences.
'Some of the opposing team ran away, but they were caught after the war ended. Most of them consists of men, and some are Pioslk. This event made the present like it is'
Crack
"Huh, what?!" The girl slammed the desk and stood up suddenly. Her glasses fell that created a crack on her lenses.
"You alright, fella?" A young man whispered and was wearing a school uniform. He was not quite far away from her, so he didn't have the need to walk to her.
His skin is tanned, big built body, cauliflower ears, and a crew cut. His voice were actually quite gentle for a big guy.
"S-sorry," The young lady apologized for making a behavior in the strict-rule policy of the library.
"It's alright, Sheina. Nothing big, lad, just don't do it again."
"H-how did you know- my name? Do I k-know you..?"
Crack
"Yeah? We're in the same grade, Weysk, class 3-23," Weysk replied, affirming her that he is not a stranger. Technically, he is.
Instead of responding back, Sheina nodded intensively; going back to her studies. Sheina didn't say a word to prevent the conversation from continuing.
"You know, that book itself is false information," His voice suddenly deepen.
Sheina heard him, feeling quite offended, she asked him, "E-elaborate."
___________
Crack
"Li... ght?" I said weakly.
For some reason, the man was confused. He was confused by two specific things—the light and his voice. He doesn't know whether it's the voices in his head or the voices that are coming out from his larynx.
The light of hope progressively began to be brighter, forcing the soldier to shut his eye. So bright it burns his eyes that were accustomed to dark.
the crevice grew—the noise of cracks are getting stronger; indicating it's growing.
Not even a speck of thought came in his mind on what's happening. But the light he longed for had come.
Moments passed by and he heard noises of stones falling. The gentle wind pushed his unbalance body—which made him fall.
His buttocks felt a somewhat soft cushion ground and prickly grass.
Because of his fall, his instincts automatically opened his forced-shut eyes.
He expected a blood-filled land and decayed corpses. Unbeknownst to him, his eyesight perceived different.
Before him stretched an expanse of vibrant hues. The terrain has transformed from its previous flatness, now featuring gentle undulations and land contours. Greenery and variety of flowers were swaying from the mild breeze—even pollens were drifting away.
The strong smell of nature made him want to wipe his nose, but his helmet stopped him from doing so. The smell wasn't bad, it's just his nose were used to smelling iron. Insects were crawling, and birds were soaring in groups. Sun rays shone on the land, white clouds dotted the light sky
He looked around to find a shade to hide from the burning sunlight. However, there were no trees nearby.
He remained his position, then laid his back flat on the ground and extended his arms and legs outwards. He put his arm over his eyes to hide from the burning rays.
His left hand moved towards his chest, pulling out something in his armor that has metal chain with a rectangle metal with his name on it. The name was difficult to read because it was fading.
He held it tight and then he smiled—a smile that conveyed so much feelings...